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If y’all have followed us for any length of time you know how much Jennifer and I love thrift shopping. I think it’s the adrenal rush of the hunt…finding a great item for a fantastic price. You know the feeling – we spot an item out of the corner of our eye, we try to play it cool so that other customers aren’t alerted to our excitement or the direction that we are headed. We keep mentally telling ourselves “don’t run!” as if there is going to be a stampede because every shopper knows which aisle we are headed to.
Admittedly more times than not, we are disappointed when we finally make our way to the actual item. It’s either priced too high or isn’t quite what we are looking for. As of late, we’ve been in a thrift store slump. We have recently left multiple stores empty handed and a little broken hearted. We love to find thrift items that need a little TLC – whether it’s a piece of furniture for our booth or something smaller that we want to up-cycle for our individual homes. We just love rescuing these items and giving them a makeover.
Like this handmade tray:
I fell in love the second I spotted it. Someone made this awesome wooden tray with their own two hands. It’s not perfectly crafted, but to me that adds to the charm. The wood has seen better days as there are lots of stains all over. The side tray hole handles aren’t perfect circles and the finish (which I think is old-school shellac) has lots of drips and fingerprints which makes me love it more.
But what really pushed me over the edge is this price tag!!
AND – it was Green tag day, which means any item in the store with a green tag is 50% off! That letter G next to the price stands for green, so my new project tray was less than $1.00…can you believe it? I knew immediately how I was going to give this thrift tray a makeover.
First, I gave the tray a bit of a whitewashed finish. Below is the total amount of homemade chalk paint that I used…
I saturated my clean paint brush with water and began smearing the paint around the entire tray.When the tray was covered in watery paint, I used a clean rag and wiped off the excess.
This is how the tray looked after it dried…
I wanted to add a bit of warmth to the finish, so I used my trusty dark paste wax. A little bit of this wax goes a long way, so I used just a very small amount and buffed it real well.
I gave my new tray a place of honor, in the center of my dining room table. I think it looks great!
I also love my ironstone pitcher…
The shellac drip on the side of the tray doesn’t bother me at all. It’s a reminder that someone worked hard crafting this tray.
Not too shabby for a dollar, right? Needless to say, this find has rejuvenated us to keep up the thrift hunt. You never know what you’re going to find or be inspired by. Have you gotten a good thrift deal lately?
XO~Vicki
We’ve linked up to:
Canary Street Crafts Little Red Brick House
This is so beautiful! Super fantastic job on the whitewash which I know isn’t always easy! I love everything in the last picture. Feel free to shop to Florida including that super fantastic mirror in the background.
coco recently posted…Kentucky Derby Inspired Mantle
Whitewash is definitely not always easy, but we love how it turned out! I think we’ll keep it for now, but if we change our mind we’ll send it your way CoCo 🙂
2 Bees in a Pod recently posted…Thrift Tray Makeover…
Score! Love a thrift find AND a whitewash finish :-). New life for this sweet tray. Lovely photos too! Bwg ~~~
Bluwatergal@bluwaterlife.com recently posted…Georgia Aquarium ~ whale sharks!
Thanks so much Bobbi…you can’t beat the deal we got on this one!
2 Bees in a Pod recently posted…Thrift Tray Makeover…
What an awesome find! And you just cannot beat that price! Beautiful makeover and I love the display!
Amanda recently posted…Sleepy Time Bath Soap
Hey Amanda! We definitely hit the thrift store at the right time and were so excited to come away with this awesome find. We’re so happy with how it turned out!
2 Bees in a Pod recently posted…Thrift Tray Makeover…
Such a great makeover! Love it with the white ironstone dishes. I had to laugh at your comment about telling yourself “don’t run!” I do the same thing! Have a great day!
It’s hard not to run to something when we know something is a good find 🙂 Thanks Angie!
2 Bees in a Pod recently posted…Thrift Tray Makeover…
Vicki and Jenn, this tray is fabulous. I can’t believe it was $1. Score for sure. What a great makeover and the tutorial and pictures are once again FABULOUS too. LOVE it and looks so beautiful with your white ironstone too. have a great day xo Lisa
Lisa recently posted…Pleated Ottoman Slipcover
Lisa you are the sweetest! Thanks you so very much!
2 Bees in a Pod recently posted…Friday Faves #66
That’s awesome. It looks lovely and you’ve styled it beautifully.I love the ironstone. I found a tray at a thrift store last week, too.. It’s round,with metal trim with some kind of fake wood as the base. It was also $1.00! I’m doing something coastal with it, but not quite sure exactly what yet.
Beverly Roderick recently posted…Thrift Store Find ~ Makeover Using DIY Chalk Paint
Thanks so much Beverly! Isn’t it great when you find such a good deal? We can’t wait to see what you do with your find…we’re sure it will be awesome 🙂
2 Bees in a Pod recently posted…Thrift Tray Makeover…
I love it!! You guys are experts at making old thrift store items gorgeous!!
Amy | Canary Street Crafts recently posted…5 Tips For Buying Furniture To Paint And Sell
Thank you Amy…we try 🙂
2 Bees in a Pod recently posted…Thrift Tray Makeover…
Love the transformation. I love thrifting, junkin, flea market, yard sales you name it and I am all in. The white wash was a really touch to bring out the character of this piece. Lets not forget the price….wow….this was a steal deal.
Tracy@www.bluridgevintage.com recently posted…Special Finds…..
We love all of that too Tracy! We wish we had more time in the day for it 🙂 We love the feeling we get when we know we just got a great deal.
2 Bees in a Pod recently posted…Thrift Tray Makeover…
It’s lovely and just perfect in your dinning room! What a great find and make-over
Karen recently posted…Bridal Shower Season, Ideas and tips for the Hostess.
Thank you so much Karen!
2 Bees in a Pod recently posted…Thrift Tray Makeover…
That whitewash finish gave it the perfect look. I’ve never tried white washing the way you did it, but I really love the way it turned out – I will definitely need to try out your technique!!
Jenny @ Refresh Living recently posted…DIY Rope Pendant Cord
Thanks Jenny! If you try our technique, let us know how it turns out 🙂
2 Bees in a Pod recently posted…Thrift Tray Makeover…
Love the white wash and all the decor you matched it up with, you have wonderful style. I enjoy your page.
Brooke
Thanks so much Brooke! We really love how the whitewash and the ironstone go together. Have a great day!
2 Bees in a Pod recently posted…Thrift Tray Makeover…
What a great transformation, and for less than a dollar, you can’t beat it! Beautiful!
Erin @ the-organized-life recently posted…ORC Week 4: Our Most Productive & Disastrous Week!
Thank you Erin! You really can’t beat it 🙂
2 Bees in a Pod recently posted…Thrift Tray Makeover…
This looks so incredible! Pinned and tweeted. Please join us on Monday at 7 pm and party with us! It is so super fun to see what you have been working on! Lou Lou Girls
Lou Lou Girls recently posted…Strawberry Poke Cake